I was just browsing through the archive, in search of something I hadn't read before and this story caught my eye. I love it; chilling, haunting...It puts me in mind of my horror at realizing what that song "ring around the rosie" that I used to dance to in a circle of friends actually meant. There are a lot of now-meaningless songs that go along with kids' games that are really very dark.

Excellent observation, and I loved the song, too. I can really picture the game in my mind, going along to the words...Somehow it reduces Voldemort to a monster-under-the-bed level, like he'll get you if you don't eat your vegetables. I was amazed at the fact that it only took a couple generations for the true meaning to go out of the song...it shows how quickly we choose to forget the darker things in the past.

Excellent job, very chilling.~Azaelia

Reviewer: Molly

Date: 2005-10-09

Reviewid: 134024

Chapter: 1

I don't like Harry Potter fic. I rarely read it. Most of it gives me hives.And this was absolutely bloody <i>brilliant</i>. Gave me chills. You are extremely talented.

Reviewer: katie janeway

Date: 2005-10-01

Reviewid: 133510

Chapter: 1

Wow...this was brilliant work. Insightful, really, since children's rhymes and games can sometimes be linked to tragic events of the past...

Reviewer: Gaia Faye

Date: 2005-09-12

Reviewid: 132377

Chapter: 1

Oh, wow. This is really creepy. Those simple children's rhymes are brilliant in how their playfulness is just disturbing. And it does make you think about how horrible things in the old days now contribute to games or humor. I feel for the narrator.

Great job!

Reviewer: Flyingskull

Date: 2005-09-10

Reviewid: 132066

Chapter: 1

Perfect. Absolutely real and perfect. I don't have to tell you what children sang after the Great Plague and the sinking of the Titanic. Am of a newer generation form Lagers and Vietnam, yet I feel the 'frisson', the shivers of it. Thanks for a great fic.

Reviewer: Nerfherder

Date: 2005-09-09

Reviewid: 132032

Chapter: 1

That was absolutely stunning. You managed to give the reader goosebumps in just a few paragraphs worth of text. What joy if other writers could do the same. :)

Reviewer: Cat Feral

Date: 2005-09-09

Reviewid: 132030

Chapter: 1

This was intense and believable. I really liked it. I was left wondering who the narrator was? Could it be Minerva or is this after her time?

Reviewer: Xedra

Date: 2005-08-30

Reviewid: 131310

Chapter: 1

Chills. I got chills at the very end!That genuinely spooked me and it is very RARE for anythng I read to spook me. Well done.

Reviewer: Jessie

Date: 2005-04-03

Reviewid: 118587

Chapter: 1

That scared me. A lot.

There's something sickening about that, with the children singing...

It makes me feel petty to want to compliment you.

Reviewer: Reader2

Date: 2005-03-16

Reviewid: 116724

Chapter: 1

Excellent fic, poor minerva

Reviewer: Saeas

Date: 2004-10-27

Reviewid: 102686

Chapter: 1

Very clever. Just like 'Ring around the Roses'. I'm intrigued as to the identity of the speaker.

Reviewer: Mel

Date: 2004-08-15

Reviewid: 97350

Chapter: 1

I LLLLLOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE the song!!!

Reviewer: Eliza M.

Date: 2004-05-31

Reviewid: 85353

Chapter: 1

This scared me like you wouldn't believe. I had to turn on the light on my desk and it's not even dark outside! Ring Around the Rosie is on my mind and it's odd really because I used to play ring around the rosie and it wasn't until third grade my sister told me it was about the plague and I remember being shocked beause it does seem very childish and all that.

"History becomes legend.Terror becomes a game"

A great story. (oh man now I keep staring over my shoulder.)P.S. Okay this just hit me, the Freddy something song from the slasher movies, this also reminds of that song.

Reviewer: story645

Date: 2004-05-30

Reviewid: 85235

Chapter: 1

Cool take on how tragedy often turns into childrens games, most obviously Ring around the Rosie (Didn't remember that name until I read the other reviews). I wonder who the woman is, but I like that you kept her anonymous.

Reviewer: Narumi

Date: 2004-03-30

Reviewid: 76451

Chapter: 1

Wow. Dark. I love it.

Reviewer: CornedBee

Date: 2004-03-03

Reviewid: 73021

Chapter: 1

Morbid...

But good job on the verses.

Reviewer: Thren

Date: 2004-01-09

Reviewid: 66354

Chapter: 1

I cannot believe that I haven't left a comment here yet. I love this fic so much. It's even helped me in a debate. *G*

This message is one too often forgotten. For every generation that passes, we're more likely to repeat the old mistakes. How long before those children have to face their own Dark Lord, and the cycle begins again?

I loved the progression of the chant (well done, by the by), and the terror that it invokes in someone who lived it. I particularly loved, as other people have mentioned, "History becomes legend. Terror becomes a game." It really makes me feel the big picture- our legend was someone else's present. *Their* legend was reality to someone even older. It almost boggles the mind.

Very well done. I really hope to see more from you at some point. Excellent work.

Reviewer: Mnemosyne

Date: 2004-01-09

Reviewid: 66312

Chapter: 1

When I first read this, and I read the comments, I thought, WHAT about ring around the rosies? WHAT is it? WHAT DOES RING AROUND THE ROSIES MEAN??????????? (And by the way, I think they do still do it—we did it in pre-pre-school when I was two, but that was about a decade ago.) So I asked my friend, and it gave me the chills. That night, I had a dream where my friend kept scratching her arm, so much that eventually she was sent to the nurse. It was a bright red spot with a ring around it. Then the dream faded out, and there were voices chanting Ring Around the Rosies.

Reviewer: Mnemosyne

Date: 2004-01-09

Reviewid: 66311

Chapter: 1

Wow....touching. Like ring-around-the-rosies, eh? Scary....My heart freezes with this story. Who is it?

Reviewer: Jenn

Date: 2003-12-28

Reviewid: 64968

Chapter: 1

eep.

Reviewer: Susan Lynn

Date: 2003-12-16

Reviewid: 63574

Chapter: 1

As you alluded to in your title, so many of our nursery rhymes refer back to horrifying events of human history. The words in your story that most struck me were "History becomes legend. Terror becomes a game." A chilling piece.

Reviewer: Miss Stephanie D.

Date: 2003-12-11

Reviewid: 62982

Chapter: 1

Such a simple, short story, yet it sends chills down my back just thinking about it. What a powerful and haunting rhyme.

Reviewer: Al

Date: 2003-12-08

Reviewid: 62571

Chapter: 1

Wonderful! And scary...

Reviewer: Abhya

Date: 2003-10-19

Reviewid: 57082

Chapter: 1

Excellent story, although very chilling. Reminded me of the song "Ring Around the Rosies." Very well-written, but now I need to read a happy story to get me out of my trance.

Reviewer: Olivia Frost

Date: 2003-10-03

Reviewid: 55287

Chapter: 1

That was creepy! It was so wonderfully written and haunting. I heard about this story some place else and what it was about, but nothing prepared me for how brilliant and somewhat disterbing this is. Great work!

Reviewer: Queenie

Date: 2003-08-05

Reviewid: 45637

Chapter: 1

Haunting. Woah.

Reviewer: MaltaMuggle

Date: 2003-07-18

Reviewid: 42746

Chapter: 1

Haunting... and powerful. Brilliant

Reviewer: Eleanor Rigby

Date: 2003-03-25

Reviewid: 25179

Chapter: 1

I LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUV this story! I read it AGES ago and then couldn't find it. NOW I HAVE IT HAHAHAHAHHA! I'm soo happy that I found it--and btw whose PoV is this? And also btw which verse is which? Is No.2 the new one or old one? Is No.1 the new one or the old one?

Reviewer: alchemilla

Date: 2003-03-19

Reviewid: 24619

Chapter: 1

Chilling!

Reviewer: Molly

Date: 2003-03-14

Reviewid: 24009

Chapter: 1

That was kind of creepy, but, sort of effective to make the reader feel for the kids. After all, for kids to make a song about it, must be really sort of scary...

Reviewer: StereoM

Date: 2003-03-14

Reviewid: 23902

Chapter: 1

Wow. That was really powerful and scary. Gave me shivers. The verses are really well done, and.. wah. Wah! Heh.

Wonderful. :)

Reviewer: Insanity70

Date: 2003-03-13

Reviewid: 23809

Chapter: 1

Goodness... how did I miss that before? Wars and horrors of prior generations become games for new generation ... So life... Someone commented that she (McGonagall) was upset/dishartened at the end - but can't you cry of joy, or rather both joy that it is really, really over, sadness for those wo died, and perhaps for those who gave their best years to fighting, and may be also from wanting these kids to understand what their really means, all the sufering and sacrifice behind it. Oh, I think I might be reading something into your story. I played WW1 and WW1 growing up - a lot. And both of my grandfathers were killed in WW2.

Reviewer: Suviel

Date: 2003-03-11

Reviewid: 23626

Chapter: 1

Wow. This was brilliant, it made me shiver...

Reviewer: Starzblue

Date: 2003-03-05

Reviewid: 22777

Chapter: 1

This story is really good. It gave me shivers!

Reviewer: kayjal

Date: 2003-02-23

Reviewid: 21536

Chapter: 1

wow this is..this is really really goodthe verse..A Death Eater’s coming, he’s opening the door.Your friends and your family won’t see you anymore.

and this one... The Dark Mark’s appearing, of that there is no doubt. VOLDEMORT will get you if you Don’t. Watch. OUT!

Reviewer: sara

Date: 2003-02-21

Reviewid: 21397

Chapter: 1

scary

Reviewer: Livia Liana

Date: 2003-02-21

Reviewid: 21385

Chapter: 1

That was terribly well-written, powerful, and beautiful. The rhymes are drawn wonderfully - they really work.

This is always an interesting situation to explore. We cannot live in fear forever, but we also cannot forget the fear and terror for worry of it rising again, and catching us unprepared. It's a fine line between being ready and being paralyzed by fear, and you've done a good job showing that.

Reviewer: encorekid

Date: 2003-02-19

Reviewid: 21053

Chapter: 1

Wow, this is goood. This strangley reminds me of the episode in Buffy the Vampire Slayer when everone looses their voice, and the girl sings the " haunting" ryme. very good though!!!

Reviewer: Crookshanks913

Date: 2003-01-29

Reviewid: 18304

Chapter: 1

Moving, Freaky, and surprisingly realistic. I had to catch my breath after reading it.

Reviewer: Seven

Date: 2003-01-28

Reviewid: 18158

Chapter: 1

Ahhh! Creepy. The last paragraph of the song was creepy. But it's a very well written story. :]

Reviewer: alphabet

Date: 2003-01-28

Reviewid: 18134

Chapter: 1

Goodness. This is...wow. I don't quite know how to review. It's a great story. It packs quite an emotional punch. It's really well-written and it hits the reader hard. Amazing--great job.

Reviewer: Miwi

Date: 2003-01-25

Reviewid: 17765

Chapter: 1

What a nice concept! I like the way you made the new kids to don't careabout the past and treat everything as a big joke, and the way this brought bad memories to the woman... who could be what, Hermione? (I don't see it happening by the time of the books, because then there werestill a lot of people who feared Voldemort, since he had been defeated notlong ago.)Liked it! Way to go! ^.^

Reviewer: Alchemine

Date: 2003-01-10

Reviewid: 15800

Chapter: 1

Utterly chilling! Children never truly understand what the older generation has endured to ensure their safety, do they? I thought the lines "History becomes legend. Terror becomes a game" summed that up especially well. An excellent story!

Reviewer: Lauren

Date: 2003-01-04

Reviewid: 15128

Chapter: 1

That was pretty freaky, I mean, seriously, a game can really mean scary things... (oh, and my friend doesn't understand it!)

Reviewer: Radcliffes gal

Date: 2002-12-22

Reviewid: 13648

Chapter: 1

I DIDN"T GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reviewer: Arlene

Date: 2002-12-21

Reviewid: 13547

Chapter: 1

I'm dumb. I read the story again and I noticed it says 'I am a very old woman.' I thought it was Dumbledore for some odd reason. So I think it's an old Hermione or a McGonagall.

~Arlene

Reviewer: Blue_Eyed_Athena

Date: 2002-12-21

Reviewid: 13532

Chapter: 1

Oh! Wonderfully disturbing. I take it this was taken from the fact that "Ring around the Rosies" is about the Plaugue? That always disturbed me.

Who is the person whose PoV this is from? Hermione?

Reviewer: Arlene

Date: 2002-12-21

Reviewid: 13531

Chapter: 1

Creepy, but good. I want to know who that person is, I think it's Dumbledore...

Reviewer: Didi

Date: 2002-12-21

Reviewid: 13527

Chapter: 1

Wow. That. Was. Freaky. But in a good way! That was good!

Reviewer: Persephone_Kore

Date: 2002-12-19

Reviewid: 13361

Chapter: 1

*whistles*

Very good, very impressive.... very well done job on the song, with the rhythm (scansion is one of the easiest things for me to find disruptive, especially when it's something that's *supposed* to be rhythmic...) and the wording -- you convey a very realistic mix for such a rhyme of irreverence and exaggeration and playing with fear and the realism that would make someone who *did* live through it (or even just read the books...) shudder.

I like the progression, too. Not just in the attack -- approach on to the Dark Mark -- but in the third lines, the way they start off with You-Know-Who and end with the name so many used to be afraid to say.

I'd heard how good this was and figured I'd better check it out. One word: wow. That was so very powerful. You really pack a punch in such a small space (just another example of quality over quantity!). You take something so simple, so ordinary, and make it so touching and personal. Great job!

Reviewer: VaniityX

Date: 2002-12-03

Reviewid: 10998

Chapter: 1

How very creepy! That literally gave me chills through the whole time I read it. It reminds me of the odd games I used to play when I was little. I can honestly see children singing that in the future. I didn't pick up on who the main character was, though.

Reviewer: Narcissa Malfoy

Date: 2002-11-27

Reviewid: 10282

Chapter: 1

I'm speechless. As an antiquarian at heart, I revel in the old meaningsof nursery rhymes etc. At family parties, I give stirring renditions of old Napoleon Bonaparte rhymes, "And he feasts on, breakfasts, dines on,ever day on naughty people!" to the terror of my younger siblings and cousins. And here you are doing the same thing, except projecting thepresent into the future, when it too is reduced into rhymes. JKR hasscared me so badly, I suppose, with the graveyard scene and all, thatthese rhymes made me catch my breath.

But in the end, there was also something nice about the feeling, thateven Voldemort in the end will be reduced to a rhyme. Hah! I feel he wouldn't be too flattered.

NM

Reviewer: Rebeccagrace

Date: 2002-11-25

Reviewid: 10160

Chapter: 1

Wow. That was an experience in fear. It gave me goosebumps, for real. I love your writing style. Simple, but you really get a lot said. No extra words, just emotions...it was wonderful and haunting and so, so sad.

Reviewer: Ami

Date: 2002-11-25

Reviewid: 10114

Chapter: 1

Oooooo. Absolutely creepy.

Reviewer: Crystal

Date: 2002-11-25

Reviewid: 10107

Chapter: 1

This story packed a tremendous emotional wallop in one short chapter. You are tops with the "brushstroke technique," evoking a mood with a few well-chosen words. I really felt this old woman's sadness, and the weight of her memories. And seeing Voldemort reduced to a children's nursery rhyme game was a different perspective.

I wonder who the woman was. McGonagall? Poppy Pomfrey? A very old Hermione?

Reviewer: Emma Dalrymple

Date: 2002-11-22

Reviewid: 9824

Chapter: 1

This story made me shiver. Very haunting and poignant and very well done. Sadly true in real life, as well. After all, the Black Death became "Ring Around the Roses." Is this McGonagall?

Reviewer: Chambraigne

Date: 2002-11-20

Reviewid: 9612

Chapter: 1

I just want to repeat what has been said before: powerful and thought-provoking.

Reviewer: MrRobertsIII

Date: 2002-11-19

Reviewid: 9544

Chapter: 1

Excellent and creepy. I liked how you didn't give the name of the main character. My favorite line of the song was "‘Cause he’ll skin ya if you’re skinny and he’ll eat ya if you’re stout."

Reviewer: Talking Purple Rabbits

Date: 2002-11-19

Reviewid: 9521

Chapter: 1

::cries too::

However did you come up with that? It's quite luvly. And a cute song...well, not cute, exactly, but well written.

What happens if the person who stands in the middle doesn't catch the ball?

~TPR

Reviewer: yasaman

Date: 2002-11-18

Reviewid: 9504

Chapter: 1

Wow...this was chilling.

I remember when I found out just what the "Ring Around the Rosey" song was about, and this reminds me of that. The "Terror becomes a game." line really fit with the tone.

Great fic, noodles!

Reviewer: Kylara

Date: 2002-11-18

Reviewid: 9501

Chapter: 1

How dark, how disturbing, and how eerily realistic. Very good.

Reviewer: Louise

Date: 2002-11-18

Reviewid: 9479

Chapter: 1

Oh my god, that was creepy...Kindof make me imagine how people back there will react listening to 'ring around the rosies'very creative

Reviewer: Ara Kane

Date: 2002-11-18

Reviewid: 9470

Chapter: 1

Awww. This is kind of sad, but I mean that in a good way :) It's very interesting how you don't identify the narrator -- it leads you to wonder what came out of Voldemort's second rise to power. If children are making a game out of him, I hope it was a happy ending (but not Mr. Voldie, but who cares about him? :D), but then you never know...

Anyway, great job!

Reviewer: zequist

Date: 2002-11-18

Reviewid: 9464

Chapter: 1

Wow, that was terrific, thought-provoking, and so true. War is such an enormous and powerful thing that it's impossible to fully understand one you haven't lived through. My parents were children in WWII, and parents of young children during Vietnam, but even for all the stories they've told me about those years, it's still much easier for me to relate to the Gulf War, which was a game of tiddly-winks compared to previous wars, just because it's the one I experienced for myself. But in a way there's a happy ending in this story too. The children may not understand or fully appreciate the sacrifices of their grandparents, but their grandparents fought to create a world where children can laugh at something feared rather than still living in fear of it, and obviously they succeeded.VERY well done.

Reviewer: Yolanda

Date: 2002-11-18

Reviewid: 9457

Chapter: 1

This was quite a chilling and accurate portrayal of the things people do to deal with the horror of death. The parallel to Ring Around the Roses is great.

<<Without the first-hand experience of the agonies of fear and of war, the stories become entertainment. History becomes legend.

Terror becomes a game.>>

True.

Powerfully done.

Axelle

Reviewer: Mincot

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9409

Chapter: 1

This was brilliant in a quiet and understated way. I got memory chills in the way you were able to show both the casual way children deal with horrors, and the way in which the present and the past mirror--and map--each other. Lovely, lovely job--thank you for sharing.

Reviewer: Catherine

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9402

Chapter: 1

Powerful!

Catherine

Reviewer: Katinka

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9400

Chapter: 1

Wow. So much power, for such a short piece. I feel like I've been hit over the head, for lack of a better explanation. I'm sure many of the older generation feel this way today -- not having lived through such tragedies, those younger can easily fall into ignorance and apathy. The words and phrasing you use are so effective. Very original, and very well-written!

Reviewer: pub

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9381

Chapter: 1

Original! :)

Reviewer: Jestana

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9377

Chapter: 1

Excellent! I liked how you did this. Especially when you mention that children aren't frightened by the stories of old men and women. That is so true. I like the song the children sing. Bravo!

Reviewer: Georgia Russell

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9358

Chapter: 1

Singular. Potent. Chilling.

Reviewer: B. Nonymous

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9352

Chapter: 1

Hmmm, doesn't seem like an ex-head of Gryffindor (I'm guessing that's who the narrator was) to completely lose heart over this. OTOH, perhaps being firsthand witness to enough horrors will strike fear into the stoutest of hearts.

To be fair, 'tis only a small nit to pick in a fine portrait of a future worth fighting for.

Reviewer: Gwena

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9347

Chapter: 1

This story was beautiful. I remember being horified when I found out what "Ring around the rosies" actually about. I guess Voldemort would be reduced to a childs game eventually as well. Thank you for a wonderful read.

Reviewer: Anjerla

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9328

Chapter: 1

Good God. That's about all I can say. This is amazing. It really hit me hard because one of the things that has struck me hardest about the Harry Potter books is how evil Voldemort is, and how deep it runs. He's a very intruiging character, as is the entire idea of evil in Harry Potter. So this especially hit home, as I can identify with how terrifying that man is, and how these kids have no idea...and how it must sound to someone who actually went through it. You're brilliant, I love it.

Reviewer: Joylyn

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9327

Chapter: 1

This just gave me goosebumps. The first person narrative really worked for it -- the narrator's feelings came through well.

Creepy, too. This year is the first time in my life that war has been anything more than a history lesson in my mind, and the thought of actually living through it and facing it again... it's eerie.

I especially liked how you introduced the children and her relief at seeing them -- and then showed us the reality in which these children must live. That song just... like I said, goosebumps.

Reviewer: Ozma

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9319

Chapter: 1

Wow. Powerful and brilliant, with haunting echoes of "ring around a rosey" and the plague. And other horrors too; things that are allowed to fade from memory. Horrors that shouldn't be permitted to fade, for fear that they might happen again.

Reviewer: Alkari

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9316

Chapter: 1

How terribly sad, and how spine chilling.

As I write my own MWPP fic, I have been thinking of what it must be like for those who lived through Grindlewald, and then Voldemort's first rise to power - and are now faced with a third dark time. Your simple device of using the children's games and songs - in all thier innocence - is just so sad, so telling, about what their parents and grandparents woudl have gone through.

There must have been so many people who were children in WW1, then fought in WW2, and then had the horrors of Eastern Europe, or the Korean war, etc - your fic is just so sad, and so very, very realistic.

AlkariI can just feel for that old lady.

Reviewer: oybolshoi

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9296

Chapter: 1

very effective - reminds me of ring around the rosy (do kids even do that anymore?).

Reviewer: Rugi

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9294

Chapter: 1

I really liked the feeling behind this story. It describes how time trivializes everything. What was shattering to one generation, is an amusing anecdote or dull history lesson for another.

But it also a streak of hopefulnes to it. Everything, no matter how terrible, fades given enough time.

Lovely and beautifully written story.

"Proud old heroes of a forgotten war."

Reviewer: Zisk

Date: 2002-11-17

Reviewid: 9293

Chapter: 1

Dang. Masterful commentary on "the way things are". Good job - can't think of anything else to say.

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